#xthunder

Update 1: In the 5 months I’ve been inactive, I bought a house by myself and have been enjoying life with just me and my cats. I have not stopped exercising (except for a few weeks when first moving in and all that), but I had been eating pretty carelessly. I quit weighing myself until recently, and lo and behold, I gained about 15 lbs. However, I’ve pretty well settled into a daily routine, so it’s time to start making it healthier all around. I’m counting calories again, trying very hard to resist overeating, and drinking tons of water daily.

Update 2: I’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid for a friend’s wedding in May, and I have my dress, but it doesn’t fit. So I really need to get healthier all around. If it it isn’t close to fitting by mid-April, I’ll buy another dress, but I won’t be happy about it. But I think this is doable. I have a goal.

Update 3: My employer pays for the bulk of a YMCA membership, so I signed up this week and have so far made it 3 days in a row! It is so good to work out on quality equipment again. I can’t push my rickety little elliptical at home any harder. Damn thing is falling apart. It’ll be ok for days I can’t make it into the gym, but I think the Y membership is going to be a game changer. They also have Zumba classes in the morning that I hope to join sometime soon. I think I’m going to go a little earlier tomorrow to peek in at the class and just see what it’s like. I’ve never been to a live class before.

First thing’s first - my last two weigh-ins were steady. No real change to speak of. I am banging my head on this plateau.

Second thing - today was my second 5K!!

Now I didn’t realize when I first signed up for this one that it was an intentionally hilly course despite the name, “Conquer the Hills” (I thought it was just a name, ok?), so as the day got closer and they released more info about it, I got a little nervous since I hadn’t been training for it as much as I could’ve. Plus there aren’t a lot of hills in my neighborhood to prepare with, but this past week I went out twice and tried to make the most of every uphill stretch. And each day that I was on the elliptical,  I would up the resistance at intervals.

Weight: 168 lbs (-1 lb from last week)

Well, I’m not a stranger to this number but I don’t mind seeing it again, especially this early in my TOM. Now the real miracle will to be to see another drop next week.

Weight: 169 (-1 lb from last week)

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

Which is what I’ve been doing the past week, actually. Hot temps and an open pool. I’m a happy girl.

Weight: 170 lbs (-3 lbs from last week)

I haven’t been perfect, but I must be doing something right. Lots of salad kits, fruit, pickles, and 100 cal bags of popcorn.

I’ve also cut way back on sucralose and aspatame. I’m looking into stevia products that I can stand. Right now I’m transitioning away from 0 cal Mio and more to Stur, which uses stevia. It’s not terribly bitter and I really like the coconut/pineapple flavor. I also ordered a shaker of Stevia Select after checking into which brands are considered least bitter. So far so good; the taste, even in extremely small amounts, seems to linger well after I’ve consumed whatever I put it in, but it’s not that awful bitterness that other stevia products I tried had.

I’ve also been walking more at work instead of driving a “tugger” around; but that’s not entirely for the exercise. Tuggers are these little vehicles you drive standing up that are used for transporting items on the front, pulling a cart behind, and reaching higher locations with the ladder (which is what you lean up against while you drive). The bad thing is, you control the speed with a foot pedal, which has to be constantly held down for it to move at all. This can get uncomfortable after awhile, and has actually been causing me to get ankle cramps at night. So that’s been more incentive to just walk, as long as I’m not in a rush, anyway.

Also been trying to just get to bed a little earlier. One advantage of walking more at work is I’m plenty tired when I get home.

Weight: 173 lbs

Last few weeks I kept either forgetting to weigh in before eating or else was at the mercy of my TOM, but I also knew that I was likely gaining. My eating has been shit; big surprise. I’m tired of saying that, but I really don’t know how to get it under control. It’s not that I eat a lot of junk. I just eat a lot. But again, it’s mostly at night after work. I could probably avoid the urge to binge if I went to bed as soon as I get home, but I need some time to wind down. Unfortunately, I’m usually hungry when I get home, there’s no one else awake, and the fridge is my only company.

The sights and sounds reminded me of walks my mom and I would take to the park when we lived in town (oh, to be 4 again), and the smells reminded me of early mornings on trips; cut grass, warm blacktop, and flower-heavy landscaping.

So I didn’t set any new PRs, due in part to some commuters and mowers forcing me to pause or change route a few times, but mostly because I just wanted to soak all this up. It’s the only really warm, sunny day we have in the forecast. Worth it.